


Hidden

by Not_You



Series: Secret Son [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Disability, Gen, Parents & Children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-05
Updated: 2012-09-05
Packaged: 2017-11-13 15:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the Avengers has a secret child who is disabled and is taken care of elsewhere (either in an institution or some kind of personal caregiver). Despite not being the primary caregiver, the Avenger is a good parent who loves the child dearly! S/he visits this child regularly with gifts and receives information of him/her. When the child is hurt or sick, the parent makes excuses for work and goes to the child.</p><p>Another character(s) find out.</p><p>(I forgot to have anyone actually find out, oops.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden

Daddy is smart. Jimmy isn't smart, but Daddy doesn't mind. He's not always around, but when he is he's nice. He doesn't get mad when Jimmy doesn't understand, and he never disturbs Jimmy's lines. It's important. Jimmy is mostly good but when people disturb his lines he screams and screams. He doesn't understand other people so well, but he knows that's bad. He tries not to be bad, but it's hard when someone disturbs his lines or tries to feed him something yellow. Daddy gets real mad about that one time. It's time for lunch, and Jimmy is trying so hard to be good. But he had to go the doctor today, where it's too bright and he has to let people who aren't Daddy or Mary or Will touch him and it's so hard to be good. So it's already building inside him when he sits down.

Will is sick and Jimmy doesn't like this guy who's cooking his lunch instead. Usually Aurora comes when someone can't take care of him, and while he can't trust her like the others and she disturbs his lines more than anyone else, she's nice. She's quiet too. This guy rattles all the pots and opens a can with yellow on it. He pours corn into a saucepan, and Jimmy is afraid he's going to throw up. He still wants to be a good boy, and uses his words.

"No corn."

"Why not?" And the way he says it hurts, but Jimmy's not sure why.

"Yellow! Sick!" And there are tears in his eyes because he's trying so hard to do what he's supposed to and it's not working because the saucepan is still on the stove and this guy is still just looking at him.

"So you don't like corn. Deal with it."

"Yellow! Sick!" And it all breaks loose now, all the kicking and screaming he wanted to do in the doctor's office. And then he's on the floor and he can't get up and he's being touched, all over and kept on the floor like in the group home before Daddy found him and he screams and cries, struggling as hard as he can.

"HEY!" Daddy's voice is loud, even over Jimmy's screaming. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Restraining him! Who the hell are you?"

"His father. Get the fuck out." He hesitates, and Jimmy manages to see over him and he's never seen Daddy so angry. "Get the fuck off of my child, and get out of here."

"Look, it's not safe for him if I--" And then Daddy comes over and grabs him. He's bigger than Daddy, but Daddy's strong. As soon as he can, Jimmy scrambles to the empty cabinet. It's a big one and has no shelves in it, so he can curl up in the dark and feel safe because nobody can look at him. Daddy's still yelling, and they both say more bad words, but it gets fainter and fainter. Jimmy whimpers, because he's hungry and scared and it's been a really bad day and he wishes Will wasn't sick and that Daddy would come back. And then he can hear footsteps.

"Jimmy?" It's Daddy, and he opens the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yellow." He sniffles. "Sick."

"Aw, honey. C'mon out. Can you?"

He has to think about it, but nods and comes out. He knows Daddy wants to hug him, but he can't bear a hug right now. He holds up his hands instead, and Daddy does the same. They press their palms together for a moment, and then Daddy goes to the stove. He picks up the pan, makes a face and says, "Screw it, more where that came from," and throws the whole pot into the trash. "Want some spinach, kiddo?"

His stomach growls. He does want some spinach. Green is the best color. He manages to nod, and Daddy smiles. He doesn't really understand how, but it makes him feel a little better. Daddy cooks the spinach exactly the right way, and sits down with Jimmy but doesn't watch him eat it. He likes that, and only Daddy and Mary and Will ever remember. Daddy talks on the phone too, and that's soothing because it happens a lot. It's only half a conversation about stuff he can't understand. Daddy says lots of bad words, like always, and something about temporary help and asking someone where the hell do they find these people? When he's done talking, he says the guy he threw out will never be back, and Jimmy is glad.

After lunch, Daddy helps him line up his toys and stack cans, and gives him a new toy. It's smooth and square and changes colors when he touches it. But it only turns the good colors, with no yellow. Daddy shows him how to turn it on and off, and how to make it change which color comes after which. It's incredibly soothing, and he loves the way the rounded corners fit into his hands. He's still playing with it when Mary gets back. She and Daddy talk, and he helps her put the groceries away. It's nice, because he knows they're putting them in the right spots.

By the time Daddy leaves, it's not such a bad day. Jimmy is tucked up in bed with the color square and he has his blanket over his ear and he's mostly asleep, the room full of soft whitenoise from the machine by his bed.

_"What's this?" Bruce asks, picking something up from Tony's workbench. It's about four by four inches, glassy smooth and slate-colored, with smooth buttons on the side._

_"Just a toy. Try it."_

_He pushes a button and it lights up white. There's no SI logo or anything, just white. Exploring further, he finds the controls to change the colors, which shine rich and true in way he's never seen on any screen. It's idiotically simple, but strangely addictive. "Huh." He messes with the patterns for a while. The options appear to be red, blue, green, orange, and purple. "No yellow?"_

_He smiles, the expression warm and sad and complicated. "Nah. Made it for a buddy of mine. He hates yellow."_

_Bruce doesn't press, but he's very careful with the toy, and puts it back exactly where he found it._


End file.
